RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday, May 10th, during a conversation with supporters outside the Alvorada Palace, vowed to end toll collection for motorcycles. The president’s nod to the group comes a day after a rally in his support brought together hundreds of bikers in Brasilia.
“There are old contracts that I can’t override. I have already agreed with Tarcísio (Minister of Infrastructure, Tarcísio Gomes de Freitas): include it in future concessions so we can take motorcycles out,” Bolsonaro told a sympathizer.
This is not the first time that the president, in search of political support, has made a gesture towards motorists. He has done sicomething similar with truckers when he picked a fight with Petrobras over the price of diesel oil, and when he ordered the inclusion of these professionals as priorities in the vaccination list against Covid-19.
In addition to his nod to motorcyclists, Bolsonaro also made himself available to participate in new rallies similar to Sunday’s, in which he rode a motorcycle in front of the group. “With all certainty, if there is an invitation, we will go to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte,” he said. He also confirmed his participation in a rural producers’ demonstration in his support in Brasília, on May 15th: “I will be there among them,” he said.
The president drove a motorcycle on Friday, May 7th, in Porto Velho (RO), during the inauguration of a bridge over the Madeira River. At the time, several biker groups rode to the city to show their support for Bolsonaro. The president rode over the new bridge carrying on pillion Bolsonarist entrepreneur Luciano Hang, owner of Havan department store chainç in addition to not wearing a mask, neither was wearing helmets, which is a traffic violation.
In his weekly live stream last Thursday, Bolsonaro had called for the demonstration in Brasilia, saying he expected 1,000 supporters to attend. “Maybe on Sunday, this is not certain, but I am inviting motorcyclists for a ride in Brasilia at 9 AM. There will be more than 500, I think. We will not be going to the community because I believe that more than 1,000 motorcycles will be there. I am very happy. People want to join me on a ride. Everyone has the right to come and go,” he said on social networks.
No organized biker group has admitted to organizing or joining the rally in Brasilia.